ٱلنَّارُ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَيْهَا غُدُوًّا وَعَشِيًّا ۖ وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ أَدْخِلُوٓا۟ ءَالَ فِرْعَوْنَ أَشَدَّ ٱلْعَذَابِ 46
Translations
The Fire; they are exposed to it morning and evening. And the Day the Hour appears [it will be said], "Make the people of Pharaoh enter the severest punishment."
Transliteration
An-nāru yuʿraḍūna ʿalayhā ghuduwwan wa-ʿashīyyan wa-yawma taqūmu as-sāʿatu adkhilū āla firʿawna ashadda al-ʿadhāb
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the punishment of Pharaoh's people, who are exposed to the Fire of Hell morning and evening in the Barzakh (the intermediate realm between death and the Day of Judgment), and on the Day of Resurrection they will be cast into the most severe punishment. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi note that the repeated exposure to the fire demonstrates the continuity of their torment, while the phrase 'most severe punishment' indicates that their punishment on the Day of Judgment will be even more intense than what they experience in Barzakh, as they will be permanently admitted into Hell.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of a broader passage in Surah Ghafir that contrasts the believer (mentioned in verses 28-44) who secretly believed from Pharaoh's family with the disbelievers and those who followed Pharaoh. The context specifically addresses the eternal consequences awaiting Pharaoh and his people for their rejection of the truth and persecution of the believers, establishing the certainty of divine justice.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Muslim wherein the Prophet (ﷺ) described the punishment of the deniers in their graves and mentioned their repeated torment aligns with this theme. Additionally, various ahadith regarding the punishment in Barzakh support the concept of exposure to hellfire before the final judgment.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that oppression and rejection of divine guidance do not go unaccounted for—both in this life and eternally—and serves as a powerful deterrent against arrogance and injustice. It also reinforces that accountability is inevitable and that the punishment of those who persistently deny God's signs will only intensify on the Day of Judgment.
Related Ayahs
فَأَخَذْنَـٰهُ وَجُنُودَهُۥ فَنَبَذْنَـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْيَمِّ ۖ فَٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
So We took him and his soldiers and threw them into the sea. So see how was the end of the wrongdoers.
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَسَبُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ جَزَآءُ سَيِّئَةٍۭ بِمِثْلِهَا وَتَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ مَّا لَهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مِنْ عَاصِمٍ ۖ كَأَنَّمَآ أُغْشِيَتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ قِطَعًا مِّنَ ٱلَّيْلِ مُظْلِمًا ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ
But they who have earned [blame for] evil doings - the recompense of an evil deed is its equivalent, and humiliation will cover them. They will have from Allāh no protector. It will be as if their faces are covered with pieces of the night - so dark [are they]. Those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.
يَوْمَ يَغْشَىٰهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ مِن فَوْقِهِمْ وَمِن تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِهِمْ وَيَقُولُ ذُوقُوا۟ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
On the Day the punishment will cover them from above them and from below their feet and it is said, "Taste [the result of] what you used to do."
يَتَجَرَّعُهُۥ وَلَا يَكَادُ يُسِيغُهُۥ وَيَأْتِيهِ ٱلْمَوْتُ مِن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ وَمَا هُوَ بِمَيِّتٍ ۖ وَمِن وَرَآئِهِۦ عَذَابٌ غَلِيظٌ
He will gulp it but will hardly [be able to] swallow it. And death will come to him from everywhere, but he is not to die. And before him is a massive punishment.